Travel Expense Rebates And Incentives Result In $40 Million FCA Settlement
Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 07.29.05
PricewaterhouseCoopers has agreed to pay $41.9 million to settle a qui tam civil False Claims Act lawsuit brought by a former partner alleging that the accounting firm had knowingly overbilled various government agencies for travel in conjunction with auditing and consulting work by failing to give the government credit for commissions, rebates, and incentives that travel companies and credit card issuers extended to the firm. The former partner turned whistleblower, who alleged that the accounting firm's management ignored internal complaints about the practice, reportedly is expected to receive between 15 and 25 percent of the government's $41.9 million recovery, plus $1.6 million in legal fees and costs.
Insights
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.26.25
From ‘Second’ to ‘First:’ Federal Circuit Tackles Obvious Claim Errors
Patent claims must be clear and definite, as they set the boundaries of the patentee’s rights. Occasionally, however, claim language contains errors, such as typographical mistakes or incorrect numbering. Courts possess very limited authority to correct such errors. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has emphasized that judicial correction is appropriate only in rare circumstances, where (1) the error is evident from the face of the patent, and (2) the proposed correction is the sole reasonable interpretation in view of the claim language, specification, and prosecution history. See Group One, Ltd. v. Hallmark Cards, Inc., 407 F.3d 1297, 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) and Novo Indus., L.P. v. Micro Molds Corp., 350 F.3d 1348, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2003).
Client Alert | 5 min read | 11.26.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.25.25
Brussels Court Clarifies the EU’s SPC Manufacturing Waiver Regulation Rules
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.24.25
